Declared Age Range and Play Age Signals: age assurance APIs for app developers

Apple’s November 2025 notice lists three pieces. The Declared Age Range API tells you which band a user falls in, under 13, 13 to 15, 16 to 17 or over 18, with a signal about how the age was assured, such as a credit card or a government ID, and whether consent is needed for significant changes. The Significant Change API in PermissionKit asks a parent or guardian to approve a significant change to your app and can keep access closed until they do; it is triggered automatically when your app’s age rating changes, which a new StoreKit property detects on the device. App Store Server Notifications tell you when a parent withdraws consent, after which the app cannot be launched on the child’s device. Apple asked developers to test these in the sandbox and submit updated builds once the iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 release candidates were available.

Google’s API is a runtime call that returns the user’s age range, verification status, whether the account is supervised, and the parental approval status. It returns signals for users in Brazil from March 17, 2026, under the Digital ECA, and for eligible users in Texas who created their accounts after May 28, 2026. The libraries live under com.google.android.play.agesignals, with Java and Kotlin APIs and a testing package, and the API is marked beta, so expect changes.

Google allows the signals only to provide age-appropriate content and experiences and to comply with the law. Using them for advertising, marketing, user profiling or analytics is prohibited, and Google says misuse can end your API access and get the app suspended or removed from Google Play. Treat the Apple signal the same way: it exists to gate content and consent, not to enrich a profile.

The law was due to take effect on January 1, 2026. A federal district court in Austin blocked it on December 23, 2025; the Fifth Circuit stayed that injunction in late May and early June 2026, and on July 6, 2026 the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the law, as reported by legal trackers such as InfoLawGroup. The constitutional challenge continues on the merits, so the obligations can still change. This page is not legal advice: if your app is available in Texas, confirm your duties with counsel and watch Apple’s and Google’s developer news for dated changes.

First, find out whether you need an age signal at all: an app with no age-restricted content, no in-app purchases for minors and no significant changes may only need to read the rating. Then add the Declared Age Range and Play Age Signals calls behind one internal interface, so the rest of the app asks «is this user under 18» once. Wire parental consent for significant changes, handle the withdrawal notification, and test with the sandbox on iOS and the testing package on Android before you ship.

Compliance keeps the app on the store; being found is the rest. Censuus ranks apps by the visits they draw, and adding your app is free on the List my app form. Placement comes from traffic and sponsorship: apps climb on the visits they draw, and a sponsor can pay to rise higher.